A 2010 photo of Archer Granger who was a patient at Hurley Children's Hospital. Archer was the Pediatric Ambassador of the hospital during the "Battle of the Brave" contest.MLive.com

FLINT, MI -- The patients of Hurley Children’s Hospital will get a lift in spirits as $25,000 won through a nationwide online competition will go toward refurbishing two playrooms.

During two weeks of voting that ended on May 31, 14,434 Facebook users cast their votes for Hurley Children’s Hospital as part of the “Battle of the Brave,” a competition sponsored by the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, of which the Hurley Children’s Hospital is a member, and Speedway.

Linda Tracy-Stephens, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Director at Hurley Children’s Hospital, said member hospitals all across the country were eligible and that the Hurley Children’s Hospital’s victory was a “David and Goliath” story.

With 30 minutes left to vote, Tracy-Stephens said Hurley Children’s Hospital was trailing Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind., by 150 votes, but when the voting had ended, Hurley had pulled ahead by 34 votes.

But what made the victory even more impressive was the comparative size of the two hospitals, Tracy-Stephens said. Hurley Children’s Hospital has 42 pediatric beds, but the Riley Children’s Hospital has 455, she said.

Despite having less than a tenth of the pediatric beds, Hurley garnered more votes, receiving about 344 votes for every pediatric bed it has.

Tracy-Stephens said the victory couldn’t have happened without the hospital’s Pediatric Ambassador for the competition, 9-year-old Archer Granger, a patient who she called “amazing.”

Archer’s mother, Jennifer Granger, said Archer was airlifted to Hurley’s Children Hospital in 2009 after he was run over by a lawn mower. He had broken legs and 95 percent of his foot was severed, among other injuries, but Archer made a complete recovery.

“If you want a miracle, go to Hurley,” she said.

Granger said her family continues to stay in touch with members of the Hurley Children’s Hospital staff.

“They are our family. They’re not just a hospital, they’re not just nurses and doctors and attendants,” she said. “They’re your friends. They’re the people you cry with, you laugh with, you celebrate with.”

And Tracy-Stephens noted that the close relationship between the Granger family and the Hurley Children’s Hospital is not uncommon.

“That’s what happens here,” Tracy-Stephens said. “Our staff gets so invested in these kids and their families that Hurley becomes an extended part of their family.”

Granger said she hadn’t heard of Hurley Children’s Hospital prior to Archer’s admittance, but said it’s a gem for the city of Flint and that people shouldn’t prejudge the hospital because of its location.

“That’s exactly the problem that Hurley runs into,” she said. “People don’t give it the thought that they should as a children’s hospital because of where it is …. It doesn’t matter where it is, the neighborhood it’s in, that is the best hospital for children.”

Tracy-Stephens said the community of Flint should take note of its children’s hospital and the competition it just won.

“Flint gets a lot of bad press and this contest gave us an opportunity to help showcase what is very best about people of Flint and Genesee County and beyond,” she said. “I think for a while, it helped people remember what makes us such a good community. People should be very proud that vote by vote they made a difference.”